Silent Majority Speaks

Rescuing Democracy in the United Kingdom from our current Elected Dictatorship

Spin, not face-to-face confrontations with the voters, is the Government's chosen method of communication. Ordinary people are dangerous. Ordinary people might ask a question which throws a politician 'off message'; the Cabinet member might reveal himself or herself to be a human being like us, and not a programmed android. Worse still, he or she might tell the truth. Ann Leslie - Daily Mail, September 16, 2004 Blair wants to leave his mark on history - looks more like a stain to me. Peter Thorndyke, Diss, Norfolk - Daily Mail, May 23, 2005 I know I'm me - why do I need an ID card? "Sorry, officers, I don't have an ID card. I never applied for one. It seemed a bit steep at 300 quid. I do have my free passport, my driving licence and my London freedom travel pass, each with my photograph. I have my NHS medical card, with its lengthy number, given me at birth, my RAF service book with my Armed Forces number, and a chit authorising me to wear a few gongs -including a General Service Medal with Malaya bar, for fighting communist terrorists on behalf of my country, or so they told me. "I've also got various credit cards and store cards, all with my signature on the back, generally good for buying the everyday requrements for life as well as the odd luxury. If you decide to arrest me, I suppose I'll have to be photographed and given another number, besides my PINs. "I'm afraid I haven't got a pension book; it was taken away." "By thieves, sir?" "No ... well, not exactly. By the Government. By the way, may I see your warrant cards please, gentlemen?" Oh dear, they've disappeared. E. Harry Gumer, Romford, ESSEX - Daily Mail, June 1, 2005 NO means NO When does NO mean MAYBE? When it's not the answer the EU wants. With the courageous French NON resounding in their ears, shabby, undemocratic self-interested leaders of Europe propose ignoring the part of their precious constitution that requires ratification by all members and continuing without one of the biggest founder members to prevent derailing the gravy train. As in Ireland, they refuse to accept any NO votes, ignoring the will of the people, and re-stage votes until they can engineer the 'correct' answer. Sadly, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw dances to their tune like a puppet on a string. With tactics such as these, how can anyone really believe the EU has our interests at heart. Letter from Steve Penny, Kingsnorth, Kent - Daily Mail, June1, 2005 Surely the French result makes the £1million the EU recently spent on a treaty signing ceremony seem a trifle premature and extravagant. Letter from Keith Wiseman, Bury, Lancs. - Daily Mail, June1, 2005

May 11, 2005 (741 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 1,610 US - 88 UK - >6,164? Iraqi - >17,300 civilians - 25 media 

May 31, 2005 (761 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 1,657 US - 89 UK - >6,164? Iraqi - >17,300 civilians - 25 media

June 3 , 2005 (765 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 1,670 US - 89 UK - >6,164? Iraqi - >17,300 civilians - 25 media

June 17, 2005 (779 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 1,716 US - 89 UK - >6,164? Iraqi - >17,300? civilians - 25 media

June 26, 2005 (788 days since war ended)

Death Toll: 1,737 US - 89 UK - >6,164? Iraqi - >17,300? civilians - 25 media

WWW silentmajorityspeaks.com

Britain has traditionally been one of the biggest net contributors to the EU because we do not get as much money back from Brussels in farm and regional subsidies as our rivals. According to Treasury figures, between 1995-2002, Britain's average contribution taking the rebate into account, was £2.6billion, or £43.55 per head of population. The French - the biggest recipient of farm subsidies - contributed £1billion a year or £16.08 per head of their population.

STOP PRESS

Our hospitals have become war zones, doctor tells Health Minister Hewitt, who is confronted over chaos caused by targets

By Jenny Hope - Medical Correspondent - Daily Mail, June 29, 2005

A young doctor confronted Patricia Hewitt yesterday over Britain's 'war zone' hospitals. In front of hundreds of colleagues, Jennie Blackwell told the Health Secretary patients were 'strewn' around her unit, trolleys lined corridors and people with life-threatening conditions were waiting hours for treatment. It had reached the stage where overworked staff dreaded going to work, she said.

And she pinned the blame firmly on the Government's culture for target- setting, particularly the controversial target that 98% of A&E patients should be dealt with in four hours.

"Morale is suffering terribly," she told Mrs Hewitt. "Please, please, please reduce this 98% target as it's awful for patients and awful for us."

The junior hospital doctor was speaking at the British Medical Association's annual meeting in Manchester. She seized the opportunity of a question and answer session to challenge Mrs Hewitt, who claimed she wanted to 'listen and learn' from doctors.

Dr Blackwell painted a horrific picture of the chaos at the medical assessment unit where she works in a hospital in the North West, which she refused to name. The unit is supposed to offer immediate assessment for patients referred by GPs or from A&E, but in practice overflows with patients who had been transferred from A&E to allow it to meet the four-hour target.

Dr Blackwell, a member of the BMA junior doctors' committee, told the minister: "It's like a war-zone. We have patients strewn all over the unit. It's frankly dangerous." She said the queues that used to be familiar in A&E had been transferred to her unit. "It's reached the point sometimes when we can't even see patients because there is nowhere physically to have a consultation. Sometimes we do a clinical examination on a trolley in the corridor. We've had the whole length of the corridor nose to tail with trollies."

The 24 beds in the unit are sometimes oversubscribed by three times with some patients waiting up to 10 hours to see one of the four doctors on duty. A survey by the BMA earlier this year revealed doctors in eight out of ten A&E departments in England had 'clinical concerns' about targets. The survey showed doctors are having to send patients home early before being properly assessed.

Hospital managers were also accused of bullying A&E staff to ensure their hospital hit targets which carry a £100,000 'sweetener' to spend on new buildings or equipment. Staff at one in six A&E units said figures had been fiddled to meet the target.

Mrs Hewitt acknowledged in her reply that some targets were difficult to achieve but said they were working. She said: "Although they're crude they're helping to achieve much-needed improvements in services."

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